In June, former American pop star R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison in an abuse trial. Now a Chicago jury has found him guilty again on other charges of sex with a minor and making child pornography.
The 55-year-old was charged on 13 counts, including several counts of producing child pornography and inciting the sexual activity of minors. According to the New York Times, the 12 jurors acquitted him on seven counts, including charges of obstruction of justice. The verdict will be announced at a later date, Kelly still faces several decades in prison. Kelly had always denied the allegations. He has been in prison since the summer of 2019. Two other accused ex-employees of Kelly’s were acquitted.
In Chicago, there was also a video that has been known for years in which Kelly is supposed to show how he abuses a 14-year-old girl and urinates on her. In this case, the musician was already acquitted by a jury in 2008. Prosecutors accused him of pressuring the victim not to testify at the trial. In the retrial, the now adult woman had confirmed that she was the person in the video.
First accusations decades ago
The lawsuit — after cases like those of film producer Harvey Weinstein and comedian Bill Cosby — is another much-noted legal work-up in the MeToo era. The first accusations against the musician, born Robert Sylvester Kelly in Chicago in 1967, were leveled about 25 years ago. But the music colossus seemed untouchable on his pop throne and remained at large for a long time. With over 50 million albums sold, several Grammys and other accolades, he was one of the most successful musicians of the late 20th century.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
